


star of my heart

by moonsprite



Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Angst, Crying, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, M/M, Slow Dancing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:07:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23175931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonsprite/pseuds/moonsprite
Summary: Haldir has been your best friend for what seems like forever, but you've wanted to be more for a long time now. How long can you hide the reason for your racing heart from the one that knows you best?
Relationships: Haldir of Lothlórien/Reader, Orophin & Rúmil of Lothlórien
Comments: 4
Kudos: 64





	star of my heart

You sighed in relief as you found the courtyard garden mercifully empty and relatively quiet. It was a lovely holiday celebration, but you were feeling rather exhausted after being around so many people carousing like their lives depended on it. The crisp night air was doing you some good, and you fanned yourself as you sat down on a white stone bench near the center of the garden. Here you could feel your heart slowly calm as the chirping of crickets and the soft swaying of flower blossoms soothed you.

Just as your breathing had slowed into a gentle pattern, your body twitched at the sound of a pebble skittering across the cobblestone path. You turned at the sound of someone awkwardly clearing their throat, and your heart jumped again at the sight before you.

“I apologize for startling you, dear friend. You seemed so enchanted by the moonlight that I was reluctant to disturb you.”

Dressed in emerald green robes accented with gold embroidery, Haldir pressed his hand to his chest in greeting and you quickly reflected the motion, despite the sting of hearing him address you that way.

“It's alright, I was just in search of some fresh air.”

You smiled and gestured for him to join you, and Haldir acquiesced. Now that the two of you were nearly shoulder to shoulder on the small bench, you had to sneak subtle glances to continue admiring his formal garb.

It wasn’t often that he attended these types of events as a busy Marchwarden, but when he did, you found it hard to take your eyes off of him and today was no exception. You almost marveled at the fact that you once thought nothing of jumping at him to give him a hug after a long week of training, and now you could barely look at his profile without your heart getting stuck somewhere in your throat.

Just as you were becoming mesmerized by his fair hair shining in the moonlight, his inquisitive gaze met yours. Feeling your cheeks burn in embarrassment, you quickly looked away, hands clenching in your lap. Instead of commenting on your unusual behavior, Haldir slipped a reassuring hand over your own.

“Would you do me the honor of a dance?”

The gentle look in his eyes and warmth of his hand was enough to make you nod and quietly stand. As the distant music slipped into a slow waltz, Haldir took your hand and softly pulled you into him.

With his arm curled protectively around your waist, you wondered if he could hear how loudly your heart was pounding in your chest. It wasn’t the first time the two of you had danced together, but you had not been so enamored with him back then, and him calling you a dear friend had not hurt so much.

* * *

Were you shaking? Perhaps he noticed, because Haldir squeezed your hand. You managed to actually look at him then, and his small smile made you want to swoon into his arms. Taking a deep breath, you resisted the urge and tried not to look too lovesick, an effort that you found more difficult tonight.

As the two of you slowly swayed back and forth, the heat of his hand on the small of your back and the feeling of his breath against your neck threatened to overwhelm your senses. You didn’t even realize that you had stopped moving until Haldir spoke quietly by your ear.

“Are you alright, dear friend? You do not seem much for words tonight.”

He pulled away to look at your face, but you could not make eye contact after the way his voice had sent a shiver down your spine.

“Haldir, I - ”

You tried to explain away your behavior but he was not having it, cradling your cheek in his hand and gently turning your face towards his.

“Please look at me. Or is it this countenance that bothers you so?” Haldir seemed so put-out that you quickly shook your head in denial.

“Never, Haldir. It is just - just that I cannot help but feel that you might prefer to dance with another. After all, it is far too beautiful of a night for you to spend it all with an old friend like me.”

As much as you hated yourself for saying it, you had to admit that the silvery moonlight and floral scenery felt much too romantic for the two of you. And if you stayed here any longer in his warm embrace, you were afraid of doing something you might regret.

To your surprise, Haldir appeared upset by your statement. You recognized the subtle downward set of his lips as he firmly clasped both your hands in his.

“Please do not undervalue yourself that way. There is no one else I would rather share this evening with.”

His sincere gaze made you want to interpret his words hopefully, but you knew he probably did not mean it that way. Thinking about the already numerous decades you had spent pining after this dense elf, you decided that you could not wait any longer. Your parents had already offered several times to introduce you to someone, but you could not imagine being with anyone other than Haldir. If he did not feel the same, you would just have to ask him to forget it ever happened.

“Please, if you care for me do not say such things so easily. I am sorry but I can no longer bear just being your old friend anymore. You - you mean more to me than I could possibly express.”

As your long hidden emotions began to surface, your lower lip trembled and you bit down harshly, fighting fiercely not to break down. It wasn’t his fault that he was so kind, and you hated crying in front of other people.

Haldir abruptly pulled you into a tight embrace and you could only let out a small choked gasp in surprise. With his arms pressing you to his chest, you could feel his heart thumping like yours, and his braided hair tickled the side of your bare neck. He was so close that you could hear him swallow before he began to speak again.

“Please forgive me, I never intended to make you cry. You are dear to me and I did not want to lose you. You were all I could think about tonight, and yet I always seem to make a fool of myself in front of you despite my best efforts.”

Noticing your eyes' betrayal, Haldir gently released you and wiped your tear-stained cheeks with calloused fingers. “Thank you for always thinking of me. It is my deepest wish to have you by my side forevermore, if you will have this fool of an Elf.”

Barely believing what you had just heard, you silently gazed in shock at the brave, loving, and incredible being in front of you for a few breathless moments. Just as Haldir started to look worried, you nodded vigorously and buried your face in his shoulder as he held you close.

“Yes, a thousand times yes,” you cried as you wrapped your arms around him. As the two of you began to sway again to the softly echoing music from the great hall, he quietly murmured in your ear.

“I love you, star of my heart.”

* * *

Rúmil grinned as he finished off another competitor, successfully winning the impromptu arm wrestling tournament that had started at the end of the table. As he looked around to celebrate his success, he noticed that Haldir was missing from the head table. Making eye contact with Orophin, he quickly scooped up the pot of winnings and with a quick wink at the elleths in the crowd, dashed off to find his older brother. Maybe he could incite some excitement in Haldir and get him back into the festivities.

As the two elves rounded the corner of another empty hallway, Orophin spotted something and gestured for Rúmil to stop and stay silent. They quietly tiptoed forward until Rúmil finally saw what Orophin had: their elder brother and you, wrapped in a quiet world of your own as the flower-laden trees seemed to dance in the wind and shower you with petals. Not daring to interrupt, the brothers quickly located the entrance to the courtyard and made sure no one entered for a long while.

**Author's Note:**

> My first LOTR story! I just wanted a happy Haldir fic because he deserves it. I tried not to gender the reader - please let me know if I missed anything!


End file.
